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Liger Zero
The Liger Zero (ライガーゼロ Raigā Zero) is a Lion-type Zoid, one of over 200 species of bio-mechanical life forms that form the Zoid race, providing the basis for TOMY’s Zoids franchise. The Liger Zero is the protagonists' Zoid in both Zoids: New Century and Zoids: Fuzors. It also features in both the Chaotic Century and New Century manga series and played a role in the Battle Story. As a model, it was the centre of Hasbro's New American Release marketing campaign, making it one of the most widely recognisable Zoids in the entire franchise. Overview The Liger Zero is used primarily by the Helic Republic, though some variants are used by the Guylos Empire. Unlike its predecessor, the Blade Liger, the Liger Zero is not a derivative of an older Zoid design, but rather a completely new Zoid. Although it is primarily used by the Republic, its original prototype data belonged to the Guylos Empire (which derived it from a wild Zoid), which was later stolen by the Republic forces and put into mass production to be used in their war (during the Battle Story). The Guylos Empire would eventually counter it with new variants of their own CAS-customised Ligers such as the Liger Zero X. Its signature attack is the Strike Laser Claw, which is utilised by charging its claws with laser energy to enhance the power of a claw swipe, allowing it to smash and tear through thick enemy armor with little effort. It is also often seen armed with a chest-mounted 208mm shock cannon and a 108mm beam gun attached to the tail. CAS and Fuzors The Liger Zero features the ability to utilise CAS to equip it with many different weapons, giving it adaptability to different situations. It also has the ability to fuse with other Zoids, making it a Fuzor Zoid. In the manga, the Liger Zero without armor faces off against a Death Stinger. When the armor is found to be slowing the Zoid down too much, Van jettisons the equipment and takes on his opponent with the armorless form. Liger Zero manages to cause severe damage to the Death Stinger, although it is noted that the Zoid would suffer a complete loss if it received even a single hit. In the Battle Card Game (Republican Set, Volume 4) the Liger Zero is noted to have different stats without the armor equipped. The only stat unmodified is speed, which is not included on any of the Zoid cards in the game. Other CAS, and their Fuzors: *Liger Zero Jager (Republic) *Liger Zero Schneider (Republic) *Liger Zero Panzer (Republic) *Liger Zero X (Empire) *Liger Zero Phoenix (Republic) *Liger Zero Falcon (Republic) *Liger Zero Gusoku Myokoh (Republic) *''Liger Zero Caesar The King'' - featured in the Manga. *''Miko Liger'' - featured in the Zoids Generation story, despite DHM having produced the Miko Liger armor and exhibiting it alongside other Generation Zoids, the unit was never sold. *''Liger Zero Mariner'' (ライガーゼロマリナー) - featured in the Zoids Official Fan Book series and seen again in the Zoids Customizing Manual. It was developed for underwater combat. *A catalog shows a Nightwise fusing with a Liger Zero. The wings are placed on the sides of the Liger's front legs. There are no instructions on how to do this in any version of either model kit. File:Z_mercy200503.jpg|''Falcon Armor MP'' illustration Image:LigerRed HIOH CAS.jpg|''Miko Liger'' Liger Zero Mariner.jpg|Liger Zero Mariner Battle Story Appearances The Liger Zero was initially developed in ZAC 2100, by the Guylos Empire. However, the Helic Republic stole the design and the prototype, and were able to put the Zoid into production before the Empire could. The first Liger Zeros were deployed in ZAC 2101, and were essential in the defeat of the berserk Death Stinger. A special unit of Liger Zeros, the Ray Force, was established and used to spearhead the Helic assault on the Dark Continent of Nyx. The Ray Force, led by Republican hero Ray Gregg (the man responsible for stealing the very first Liger Zero), was confronted by the Eisen Dragoons, and was nearly destroyed by their new Zoid, the Berserk Fury. Only the arrival of Helic reinforcements saved the unit from annihilation. Despite losing the prototypes, the Guylos Empire eventually created their own version of the Liger Zero, known as either the Liger Zero EM or Liger Zero Imperial. While this version was identical in all regards to the Republic Liger Zero, excluding colour, it also had its own CAS Unit, the Liger Zero X. The X was used against the Republic forces in an attempt to prevent them from deploying the Madthunder, an effort that proved unsuccessful. Later the Liger Zero X units were used by Gunther Prozen's forces during his coup attempt, only to be destroyed by the combined Helic and Guylos militaries. Information gathered from the creation and deployment of the Liger Zero X was later used to develop the Energy Liger. The surviving elements of the Ray Force were later re-equipped with Liger Zero Phoenixes and sent on a near-suicidal assault to recapture a Republic base. They nearly succeeded until the Seismosaurus appeared, destroying them as they bought time for the Gairyuki they were escorting with their lives. One surviving Liger Zero Phoenix (which possibly started life as a Liger Zero X), piloted by Ray Gregg himself, took on Emperor Wolff Muroa's Energy Liger and lost. The Zoid survived, and was later upgraded to utilise the Jet Falcon B-CAS. During the final attack against the Neo-Zenebas forces in an attempt to retake the Republic's capital, the Liger Zero Phoenixes found themselves outmatched against the Energy Ligers, and the attack only survived with the Fire Phoenixes being replaced with the Jet Falcons. The Liger Zero Falcons were able to match the Energy Ligers, allowing the Gairyukis bring down the Seismosauruses. However, the Energy Charger on Muroa's modified Zoid was damaged, threatening to explode in a detonation that would have wiped out the Republican capital and both armies. Ray Gregg was able to link up his Liger Zero Falcon with the Energy Liger and siphon off the excess energy. Media Appearances Anime New Century The Liger Zero in New Century was an Ultimate X. As such, it had a highly advanced AI system, which gave it a personality of its own. It would be highly temperamental, and refuse to let anyone except Bit pilot it. According to Leena Toros, the Zoid came into the Blitz Team's possession after Dr. Toros was conned by a cheap dealer into buying it, as white ligers were considered rare, only to leave it in the hangar "collecting dust" because no one could pilot it. Bit, previously a wandering junk-parts dealer, took a liking to the Zoid after it freed him (he was being detained by the Blitz Team for sneaking into the Toros base) and let him into the cockpit, resulting in Bit joining the Blitz Team as the Liger's full-time pilot. The Liger Zero is shown to be a highly agile and very fast Zoid, and many remark about its performance. This is due to the Zoid's ion boosters and downforce stabilizers, which ensure that its momentum is always carried forward, rather than upward. In the beginning, however, it had no form of ranged weaponry, whatsoever (strangely, the 108mm beam gun on its tail was not taken into account). Bit initially used a scrapped Heldigunner turret, but discarded the weapon after a single battle, deeming it too heavy. He would later salvage a triple shock cannon from a defeated Zaber Fang, modify it and make it a base weapon for the Liger Zero. While capable, the Zoid was not as fast as Zoids that were designed for pure speed, such as the Lightning Saix, nor was it effective against heavily armored Zoids, like the Iron Kong or the Elephander. Bit would go on to utilize several other armor units throughout the series to counter other Zoids of different types. Over the course of the series, Bit and the Liger Zero were challenged by and defeated numerous opponents; among them Harry Champ and his Dark Horn (and several other Zoids in Harry's possession), Jack Cisco and his Lightning Saix, and Leon Toros and his red Blade Liger. Bit and the Liger Zero would also face off against the Backdraft Group's Fuma Team and their War Sharks, as well as Stoller and his Elephander on numerous occasions. Their greatest rival, however, would be the Berserk Fury, a powerful Zoid piloted by the child prodigy Vega Obscura. An Ultimate X like the Liger Zero, Vega and his Berserk Fury would battle against Bit and the Liger Zero for the Royal Cup Championship. In the heat of their final battle (which was held atop an Ultrasaurus wreck, seeming the same Ultrasaurus seen in the finale of Guardian Force), the two Zoids engaged in increasingly intense combat until Vega was knocked unconscious in his cockpit, which resulted in the Berserk Fury going berserk without Vega's control and firing its Charged Particle Cannon repeatedly at the Liger Zero. A prolonged Strike Laser Claw to the Fury's throat eventually disabled the Zoid just as Vega regained consciousness and ejected from his cockpit. This ended the conflict, leaving Bit and the Blitz Team the winners of the Royal Cup. Fuzors The main character of Fuzors, RD, pilots a Liger Zero. In this series, it is unclear if the Liger Zero is a special zoid or just an ordinary zoid type. RD's Zoid is seen as special by many cast members, and, along with Blake's Berserk Fury, was thought to be the most powerful Zoid in the world by some characters. By way of actual design, this Liger Zero has a silver-white color and it has a different cockpit interior, as Fuzors uses a different animation style from New Century. The other most noteworthy change is that the "Strike Laser Claw" was inexplicably changed to "Laser Claw Strike Attack". RD mostly uses the Zoid's high mobility to try and evade enemy attacks before using his Laser Claw Strike Attack. However, as the series revolves around Fuzor Zoids, this would often result in RD being completely overwhelmed (as most non-Fuzor Zoids would be). With the Fire Phoenix, RD was able to form the Liger Zero Phoenix, and this proved to be an incredibly powerful Zoid, defeating almost any enemy by using its Diving Laser Claw, a variant of the Liger's Strike Laser Claw that worked at a range. After Fire Phoenix was supposedly killed after being beaten by Blake's new Zoid, the Gairyuki, and RD would be left with an ineffective Zoid once more. It was only after the discovery of the Jet Falcon that RD was able to form a new Fuzor and once again dominate the fights he partook in. The Liger Zero itself, however, is not actually a weak Zoid, and was in fact set up in rigged battles so that Alpha Richter (or, specifically, Dr. Pierce) could get data to build the "ultimate Zoid". This cumulated with the development of the Energy Liger. But even this Zoid, which was able to destroy both the Buster Fury and Matrix Dragon in a single shot, would be completely overwhelmed by the Liger Zero Falcon. Alpha himself using his Seismosaurus would also be defeated by this same Zoid. The Liger Zero would be revealed to be the legendary "Alpha Zoid", a Zoid that responded to RD's determination to become more powerful, making it, for all intents and purposes, completely unstoppable in battle. Genesis The Liger Zero is only shown very briefly in Zoids: Genesis. In episode 10, it is mentioned that Seijuurou's former pupil, Jirou, piloted a black Liger. Although the type of the Liger is not mentioned, it is partially shown in a flashback, and can be identified as a Liger Zero. Aside from this flashback, the Liger Zero does not appear in Genesis. Interestingly, despite this incredibly minor role, the Liger Zero is mentioned on ShoPro's official site as being featured in Genesis, while other Zoids, like the Command Wolf or Brastle Tiger, which play a much larger role, are absent. NC0 Ep1.jpg|Liger Zero using Strike laser Claw. Manga Chaotic Century Multiple Liger Zeros appear in the latter issues of the Chaotic Century manga. After sustaining serious damage fighting the Death Stinger, the Zoid Core of Caesar (Van's Blade Liger) is transplanted into the next-generation Liger Zero chassis. Two other Liger Zeros appear, piloted by Viola and Rosso (fitted with Jager and Schneider units, respectively). These Zeros were produced normally. Just prior to fighting Raven's Berserk Fury Shadow Edge, the Liger Zero is upgraded further, resulting in the manga-exclusive Liger Zero Caesar The King. This Zoid was designed by Melissa Su. New Century The Liger Zero stars in the manga adaptation of Zoids: New Century. As in the anime series, it is a Zoid of the Blitz Team piloted by Bit Cloud. Initially, it disobeys him, but when Leena is kidnapped by Team Mord, Bit and the Liger bond and unlock their potential. Over the course of the manga's four chapters, Bit and the Liger Zero would equip the Schneider, Jager and Panzer units in combat against the Elephander, Storm Sworder and Berserk Fury, respectively. The depiction of the Liger Zero of the'' New Century manga differs somewhat from the anime. Though it is still considered an extremely powerful Zoid, no mention is made of it being an Ultimate X. Furthermore, it appears unable to transform in mid-battle, as the CAS installation system seen in the Hover Cargo in the anime is absent from the manga adaptation. While fighting alongside Kugo's König Wolf, the Liger Zero X was cut in half by a Flyscissors and destroyed. Maya survived, however, and later took up piloting an Unenlagia. Video Games A silver-white Liger Zero is the star Zoid in the Game Boy Color title ''Liger Zero: Mythical Silver Beast. After falling into the underground world with its new pilot, Alster, the Zero is hailed as their saviour. Later, the Zoid's CAS units are found in various ruins, suggesting the Zero itself may have originated from the sub-terrain world. The Liger stays on the player's "team" throughout the game, its various armours being essential to completing the plot and defeating the Berserk Fury that serves as the final boss. The Liger Zero was featured in both the Zoids VS series. It played a moderate role in Zoids VS II (Zoids Battle Legends), where the player fights all of the CAS units seen in Zoids: New Century. The Liger Zero Phoenix is also unlockable through a special code, where, upon entering the code, the player will be able to buy the Zoid from their shop in Battle Mode. Also in the mission modes in Republic, the Schneider, Jager and Panzer units are obtainable if the player doesn't cooperate with Rottiger. In the Empire mission mode, the Liger Zero Empire can be obtained after defeating the Bloody Death Saurer, and the Zero X CAS can be obtainable if the player doesn't cooperate with Blue Unicorn in the final battle. In Zoids VS III, the Liger Zero Falcon is also available, which is capable of limited flight. The Zero Falcon in Zoids VS III is seen with a unique E-Shield similar to the one on RD's Liger Zero Falcon. In the Zoids Saga game(s), the various characters from the various Zoids media join the player (at various stages in each game), which gives the player access to several Liger Zeroes and its derivative armour(s). Liger Zero plays a major role again in Zoids Dash and Zoids Colloseum. While the Liger Zero CAS forms were significantly advertised for the game Zoids Full Metal Crash, it is the Liger Zero Empire that plays a natable role in the game's story as one of Berg's Zoids. Video Game Variants Several unique versions of the Liger Zero were seen in the Zoids video games. Liger Zero Silver "Shirogane" - used by Alster, it is the hero zoid of the game. Liger Zero S Prototype - as the name suggests a protoype Liger tested by the Blue Unicorn group and available in Zoids VS Zoids VS II and Zoids VS III. Liger Zero Dash - the hero Zoid of its respective game; also seen in Zoids Colloseum where it has a prominant X-shaped scar on its head. Oddly enough the last part of the name is in English, literally appearing as ライガーゼロDash. Liger Zero Kuretei - a red Liger Zero seen in Zoids Colloseum it was prominantly displayed on the game's trading card. Trading Cards The Liger Zero was featured heavily in the last two releases of Zoids Trading Cards. In the Zoids Scramble release, the basic white Liger Zero and all six of its CAS (including the Blox-CAS) units make appearances. In Zoids Card Colosseum, the Liger Zero and its two Blox-CAS units are available. Toys and Models File:Liger 0 box1.jpg|Box art File:Liger Zero box2.JPG|Box art File:Liger Zero box2 2 back.JPG|Box art File:Liger Zero box2 2.JPG|Box art File:Liger Zero Generations 1.JPG|Box art File:Liger zero hasbro back.jpg|Box art File:Liger Zero Jager box.jpg|Box art HMM Liger Zero box art.jpg|Liger Zero's 1/72 HMM model official box art File:Liger zero panzer mould.jpg|Box art File:Liger zero x em mould.jpg|Box art File:Liger zero x mould.jpg|Box art 069a012a2a1bea654e7388ed337c08ecb076657b.jpg|HMM Liger Zero Empire Ver. D36037ea48020558308b598c2b6e9db1b8e67bbb-800x664.jpg|HMM Liger Zero Empire Ver. box art. Zoids (1999) The Liger Zero was released as part of the Zoids (1999) line. Introduced in 2001, the mold was released across multiple lines until about 2004. The Liger Zero kit comes on ten frames, along with a battery-operated motor, two jaw pieces, a semi-transparent canopy cover, sixteen rubber caps and a small grey pilot figure. The Liger Zero is moulded in white, grey and black, with gold teeth and claws and an orange canopy. The Zero features paint details on the canopy, body, teeth and boosters. To reflect the fact that the Liger Zero was a Guylos design stolen by the Helic Republic, stickers for both factions appeared on the sticker sheet. The Liger Zero uses a pair of "AAA" sized batteries for motion. Once activated, the Zoid walks forwards with its jaws chomping. The Liger Zero features a pair of opening boosters on its back, as well as poseable claws and deployable stabilisers. Zoids: Build Customize Mobilize The Liger Zero was released as part of the Zoids: Build Customize Mobilize line. The Zoid was introduced in 2001. The North American version was Hasbro branded, while the international version was TOMY branded. Only the packaging was changed in this version. In 2003, the Zoid was re-released. Hasbro also released the Schneider unit in a set including the base Zoid. In this version, the white armor comes as a sparkling cream color. Hasbro Action Figures The Liger Zero was released as part of Hasbro Action Figures line. The action figure was the first to feature a small, painted Bit Cloud pilot. Another, much larger motorized toy version featuring lights and sound was released by Habro. It came with a Bit Cloud pilot too, as well as a set of missiles to fire. The same toy was released in black and violet, called Liger Zero Midnight Shield. Contest Prize Liger Zero One hundred Liger Zero units were chromed entirely gold as a contest prize and released by Tomy around the time the chrome CAS units were released. The gold chrome Liger Zero was featured in several sticker booklets and customizing pamphlets which also gave the unit count. Holotech Liger Zero This version featured white frames moulded in clear plastic, and removed some of the paint details. The Liger Zero Holotech was released under the Hasbro action figures line. High-end Master Model A HMM version of Liger Zero was released in November of 2010. It comes with a model of Bit Cloud as the pilot. Liger Zero Schnieder, Jager, and Panzer have all been released as HMM'. Each Conversion Armor is sold as a full kit that includes both the Liger Zero base zoid and the armor, or the armors can be purchased seperatly. In 2014, Kotobukiya followed the release of 2013's Chaotic Century's Blu-Ray Box with a New Century Zero version, complete with all 26 episodes remastered in Blu-Ray, several extras, as well as a Holotech Liger Zero model kit. As a follow-up to the release of the Blu-Ray Box, Kotobukiya also announced that Holotech CAS armors for the Liger Zero would be avaliable to purchase through their store only. All 3 holotech armors are sold together along with a clear stand for display use. This release does not include the clear version of the standard Liger Zero white armor and is separate from the Blu-Ray Box. Silver-plated HMM Liger Zero's were given away as grand prizes for a Zoids photo contest held in Japan. On July 26, 2017, Kotobukiya released a Limited Edition Kotobukiya Shop exclusive 1/72 scale Highend Master Model of the EZ-054 Liger Zero Empire Version, which retails for 5,800 Japanese Yen. On April 18, 2019, Kotobukiya reissued the HMM Liger Zero as the Liger Zero Marking Plus Ver. for 6,300 Japanese Yen. It came with a new sticker sheet. The only change made the the box art was that the Zaber Fang on the box was the normal red version instead of the Tigers Team version. This kit also came with a normal pilot figure instead of the Bit Cloud figure that was released with the original. Variants The basic Liger Zero has seen many color variants through different medias. Some of these saw model and toy releases, including Liger Blue Souga , Liger Red Hiou, Liger Zero Silver, Liger Zero Phoenix (NJR blue) and Liger Zero Empire . 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